Brownie Cookies

The other day, I went back to my old work place (85 Degrees Bakery) to say hi to my old co-workers and to drop off some cookies for them to enjoy!

And as soon as I stepped into the store, a wall of nostalgia hit me smack in the face. It was my first time back in the store after a little over two months and I was literally dazed for a good minute or two just standing there and looking around. I used to work at this place and knew every inch of it. I still remember the week before grand opening where I was on the floor scrubbing the metal underneath the counter and assembling the push carts. I still remember our grand opening day and us welcoming our hundreds of customers that kept flowing in and almost fainting out of exhaustion. So much blood sweat and tears and a year of my college life went into this bakery.

Do I regret that year? Absolutely not. I cherished the time I had there and the people that I was able to meet. I heard their stories and so much laughter came between us. The day I went back, I had a good talk with my manager to see how things were going and what changes happened with the past two months. He offered me my position back and for a minute, I paused. And I thought. And I wondered. And I remembered. I paused at the possibility for me to return, to reopen that door. I thought about the time I had my very first day of work, how lost I was compared to when I left as their store trainer. I wondered how my semester would look like if I returned to work– I wouldn’t be able to do the things I wanted, I wouldn’t be able to focus on my studies, and I wouldn’t be able to meet up with friends and rebuild relationships I have unfortunately neglected. I remembered why I had to leave in the first place and the direction I wanted to take the rest of my college career. And while I told him no, he told me I could come back anytime I wanted to. I deeply care about that store as so much of my energy and thinking space went into it. Like I already said, so much blood sweat and tears were poured into this store and I want it to only succeed.

And now I’m just rambling. It’s so curious the things memories can do, a very curious thing.

On the other hand, these cookies are extremely straight forward. The recipe is so simple, and the cookies are wonderfully crinkly on the outside and chewy on the inside!

In a large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate with the butter, stirring a few times, until smooth, about 7 minutes.

In another large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar at medium speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted chocolate, then fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into a shallow baking dish, cover and freeze until well chilled and firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working in batches, scoop 2-tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are dry around the edges and cracked on top. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before serving.